1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a metal clip for fixing a shaftlike member to a mount member having a through hole and a fixing structure for fixing the shaftlike member to the mount member having the through hole, by use of the metal clip.
2. Related Background Art
One of the conventional fixing structures of this type is, for example, the one described in Japanese Laid-open Utility Model Application No. 64-49784.
This conventional fixing structure, though not illustrated specifically, is such that a panel of the mount member is bored to form a through hole, through which the tip portion of the shaftlike member is inserted, and that the metal clip is fixedly fitted to the tip portion of the shaftlike member inserted in the through hole, whereby the panel and the shaftlike member are fixed to each other through elasticity of the metal clip.
For this arrangement, the shaftlike member is constructed in such structure that a head to be inserted into the through hole of the panel is formed at the tip thereof of the shaftlike member, a receiving shoulder having a larger diameter than that of the through hole of the panel is formed a fixed distance apart below the head, a step to fit the through hole of the panel is formed on the top surface of the receiving shoulder, and an annular groove having a small diameter is formed between the top surface of the step and the bottom surface of the head.
Further, the metal clip is constructed in such structure that a U-shaped slit smaller than the above head but larger than the small-diameter groove is formed in an open shape in the body of a sheet shape molded of an elastic metal sheet, center portions of two side pieces defining the U-shaped slit are curved upward, and the free ends of the two side pieces are folded back upward.
Then, the panel and the shaftlike member are fixed in the following manner in practice. When the head of the shaftlike member is inserted into the through hole of the panel, the panel is received by the large-diameter receiving shoulder thereon. At the same time as it, the step is fitted in the through hole of the panel. After that, the two side pieces are inserted into the annular small-diameter groove while the portion of the small-diameter groove of the shaftlike member is made to face the U-shaped slit of the metal clip, whereby the two side pieces of the metal clip are elastically nipped between the panel surface and the bottom surface of the head. Thus, the panel and the shaft like member are fixed through elasticity of the metal clip achieved from this nipping state.
The conventional fixing structure, however, had the following problem. Although the free ends of the two side pieces of the metal clip were folded back upward, the two side pieces were basically inserted into the small-diameter groove of the shaftlike member along the panel surface around the through hole of the panel. For example, if there was a burr around the edge of the through hole of the panel or if there was a difference between the thickness of the panel and the height of the step of the shaftlike member, the free ends of the two side pieces were often caught by the burr or the like upon insertion, so as not to be inserted smoothly into the small-diameter groove.